[Note: Our review was conducted on the 17/18 Pro Mtn 95 Ti, which was not changed for 18/19, apart from graphics.]

Intro

The “Pro Mtn” series replaced the Motive series in Fischer’s lineup last season, and that’s a pretty big deal. We were very big fans of the Motive 86 Ti, and we had heard equally good things from Blister readers about the Motive 95 Ti.

So, the big question here is, how similar / different is this “Pro Mtn” series from the previous “Motive” series?

Short answer: Pretty different.

Brian Lindahl and I both spent time on the Pro Mtn 95 Ti this winter and spring, so this will be a co-review, which, for reasons that should become clear, will be particularly useful in evaluating the Pro Mtn 95 Ti.

Fischer describes the Pro Mtn 95 Ti as “the perfect choice for ski days chock full of variety, whether on or off-piste.” They also describe their Pro Mtn series as being “maneuverable and forgiving when needed yet extremely stable at even the highest of speeds, while also noting how the “elaborately milled, offset Air Tec wood core [which they claim makes the core 25% lighter] keeps weight to a minimum. Together with the 12 K carbon insert at the tip and tail, torsional stability and edge hold is notably improved, while allowing for a remarkably light swing weight.”

So the claim is that they reduced the overall weight a bit and the swing weight of the ski a lot while maintaining high-speed stability.

In short, this flex pattern feels nice and strong, so Fischer certainly didn’t dumb down the flex pattern when moving from the Motive to the Pro Mtn construction. But let’s go ahead and get to this ski’s on-snow performance, and we’ll circle back to the ski’s construction as we go.

Groomers (plus More on the Pro Mtn 95 Ti’s Construction)

Jonathan Ellsworth on the Fischer Pro Mtn 95 Ti, Ski Santa Fe, NM.

Brian:

After my first run on the Pro Mtn 95 Ti, I was immediately reminded of the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti. The Pro Mtn 95 Ti loves to pop from one high edge angle to another, and precision and energy is the name of the game.

Most advanced and expert skiers will really enjoy the energy and pop provided by the Pro Mtn 95 Ti, even when skiing at more moderate speeds. The carving capabilities of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti are quite accessible if you know how to cleanly ride your edges and bend the ski a bit. Stiffer skis with less rebound, (like the HEAD Monster 88 and 98), require a lot more speed and force to come alive.

The energy from the Pro Mtn 95 Ti comes from the entire flex of the ski, which is another reason why this characteristic is so accessible — it doesn’t require a solid mastery of loading up the tails with each turn.

On roughed-up, end-of-day groomers, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti provides more stability than the Ranger 98 Ti. Given that the Pro Mtn 95 Ti is roughly 200 grams heavier, that’s somewhat to be expected, but the flex in the shovel also feels a bit stiffer when speeding through rougher snow. However, the slushy, summer conditions I was skiing in were pretty forgiving, so I couldn’t quite find the limit of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti.

Jonathan:

Some of you might be asking yourself, “Why are these guys talking about the Pro Mtn 95 Ti vs the Ranger 98 Ti? The short answer is that the Ranger 98 and Pro Mtn 95 are both billed as all-mountain skis, and they are only a couple millimeters different in terms of width.

But the other equally important thing to say is that, compared to the previous Motive series, the Pro Mtn 95 (and Pro Mtn 86) both got a lot more Ranger-y in terms of their construction. And while it isn’t the only change, I would argue that the most significant similarity is that the Ranger skis and the Pro Mtn skis now share a similar, “carbon nose / ultra-slim shovel” (Fischer’s terms). I.e., the Ranger skis and the Pro Mtn skis now both have carbon in the tip, and the tips have been thinned-down / milled to reduce weight. It’s a beautiful-looking construction.

But the new tips / shovels of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti remind me far more of the Ranger 98 than the old Motive construction. Again, we unfortunately never got to ski the previous Motive 95, but given the feel (and heavier construction) of the Motive 86, I am willing to wager that the old Motive 95 felt more composed on roughed-up groomers at high speeds than this updated Pro Mtn 95 Ti does.

On perfectly pristine and firm groomers at Breckenridge, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti was carving very clean turns, and finishing them with power. The fat, pretty flat tails and wide shovel make this a 95mm-wide ski that is designed to carve, and the ski feels very solid on edge.

But when skiing flat-out down steeper pitches or carving hard and getting air off of rollovers, the 95 Ti’s definitely felt less composed than a 177 cm HEAD Monster 88 or 98 would. And I would be willing to bet than the Motive 95 would, though I can’t say by exactly how much.

Then again, the swing weight of the 178 cm Pro Mtn 95 Ti is significantly less than that of a 177 cm HEAD Monster 88 or 98, so the age-old rule still holds: you aren’t going to get best-in-class stability — ever — by pulling weight from the ski. After all, we aren’t seeing WC race skis get lighter. Then again, not everyone is a WC skier, and not everyone wants or needs best-in-class stability.

Long and short: anyone hoping that the Pro Mtn series was going to offer a bigger top end than the Motive series, I think you’re out of luck. But for everyone else — for everyone who wished that the Motive series was just a bit more accessible while still being serious carvers (the flex patterns of the Pro Mtn 86 Ti and 95 Ti are still quite stout), then you should keep reading.

Moguls, Tight Terrain

Brian:

Jonathan was pretty impressed with the Motive 86 Ti in moguls, so I was looking forward to getting the Pro Mtn 95 Ti in bumps and in tighter terrain. In moguls, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti performed quite well, with one caveat — those wide tips. The Pro Mtn 95’s large, duck-foot shaped tips do get hung up quite a bit more than more rounded tips in tighter mogul lines. It wasn’t necessarily awful, but I did have to be more on my game than on skis with normal shaped tips (like the Ranger 98 Ti), which was a bit of a disappointment. In trees and chutes, the wide tips are less of an issue, but this was not the case when encountering tight mogul troughs.

Aside from the odd tips, the rest of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti felt quite forgiving, well-balanced, and neutral overall, and these are all excellent qualities in an all-mountain ski in tighter terrain.

Similar to skiing on the Ranger 98 Ti, one can choose to ski the Pro Mtn 95 Ti in tight terrain with either precise carving or pivoting maneuvers by releasing the tail. The Pro Mtn 95 Ti’s tail required slightly more effort to release than the Ranger 98 Ti, but it wasn’t a substantial difference.

Jonathan:

There’s a reason why the tips (and sidecut) of dedicated carving skis don’t look like the tips (and sidecut) of dedicated mogul skis. Lots of all-mountain skis these days have tip shapes that are designed to split the difference / perform well in bumps and on groomers, but the wide shovels of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti show its bias to be carving on edge. So in well-spaced bumps where you have the room to carve turns, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti works well — and here, the reduced weight of those tips is a real asset. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever skied anything with shovels this wide that had such a low swing weight.

Still, if you are skiing moguls as often as you are carving groomers, we think the Ranger 98 would be worth checking out. But if you like the idea of a serious carver that has a low swing weight (and bumps skiing isn’t your priority), then the Pro Mtn 95 Ti might be your ideal ski.

Firm and Variable Off-Piste Steeps

Jonathan:

I spent a couple days skiing Breckenridge’s Six Senses area (Peak Six) and the Lake Chutes area (Peak 8) in a mix of firm, variable, and wind-scoured conditions. And admittedly, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti wouldn’t be my personal pick for such terrain and conditions — I’d prefer something longer, straighter, heavier, with more mass in the tips. All of those things would have made me feel more comfortable / the ski feel more natural to me.

I’ve said multiple times on the site why I don’t think fat-race-ski shapes are the best tool for steep, off-piste skiing. When opening things up, the Pro Mtn 95 Ti didn’t feel as planted or composed — especially in the tips and shovels — as I would like. But that’s not surprising when you lighten up and thin out the tips as much as the Pro Mtn 95’s. And the other thing is that on steep terrain, those wide shovels and significant sidecut have a tendency to want to hook up across the fall line more than I might want them to.

Important Caveat: You should disregard everything I just said if your approach to steeps is to slow things down and make shorter, more deliberate turns. Because if that is how you ski, then you might get along just fine with the Pro Mtn 95 Ti.

The last thing I’ll say here is that regardless of your skiing style, I think it’s correct to say that the Pro Mtn 95 Ti is more at home in (or on) smooth, consistent, carvable conditions. You can certainly make the ski work in all sorts of other conditions and terrain (and we certainly did), but smooth (whether firm or soft), consistent, and carvable make up this ski’s wheelhouse.

Brian:

I didn’t get the Pro Mtn Ti on very hard snow, but in semi-firm snow, it was predictable, forgiving, and offered a decent amount of stability. It’s not a hard-charging crud buster (like the Head Monster 98), but it’s no slouch either, while also being lighter and more forgiving. So long as I changed up my style and worked the ski through carved turns, I found that it exhibited a lot of the precise and energetic character that it had on groomers. This carvy nature allowed me to dance between the bigger undulations that I would normally steamroll through on a burlier ski, all while still being more planted in rough snow than lighter skis like the Salomon QST 99 and the Fischer Ranger 98 Ti.

Powder / Soft Chop

Brian:

We haven’t yet had the Pro Mtn 95 Ti in deep powder or deep chop, but there are a few things to point out: first, it’s quite possible that those fat, light tips of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti may plane up quite well in deeper snow. We suspect they will. But the stiffer back half of this ski (along with its flatter tail) doesn’t give us much reason to assume that the ski will be especially good / unique in terms of dealing with deeper snow or thick chop. So while those tips might provide some advantage over fat-race-ski shapes of a similar width, we believe that the back half of this ski won’t make it any better or worse than other skis in this category.

Overall, the Fischer Pro Mtn 95 Ti is a very good ski with a wide performance envelope. More finesse-oriented or less experienced skiers will enjoy the more forgiving nature and more accessible carving capabilities of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti vs. other skis in this category, while more experienced skiers may enjoy the power and performance of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti without the demands of the burliest, hard-charging skis.

While the Pro Mtn 95 Ti is well suited for a wide variety of terrain, its broad tips might present some problems for someone who wants a strong mogul ski for tight lines. That said, it isn’t a complete deal-breaker given the low swingweight of the ski, and I look forward to getting the Pro Mtn 95 Ti out in more winter-like conditions.

Jonathan:

With the Pro Mtn series, Fischer decided to go lighter and lower the swing weight over their previous Motive skis, and they accomplished this while preserving how strong the Pro Mtn 95 Ti feels on edge. I would argue that the wider tips of the Pro Mtn 95 Ti make this ski best suited for on-piste carving, but those who also prefer to carve shorter turns of-piste will find a lot to like about the Pro Mtn 95 Ti.

The final thing to say is that the Pro Mtn 95 Ti feels a whole lot like a more race / carving-oriented Ranger 98 Ti. So if that sounds intriguing to you, you’re in luck.

I loved my 186 Motive 95s as well but peeled the top sheet back in early April tree skiing at Stowe. Not sure if they will find another pair of motives or if I will be getting a pair of Pro Mountains as a replacement. I was thinking that the tail rocker might make the Pro Mountains more forgiving in the trees and bumps but maybe not. I am 6’3, 230 and the motives hauled ass everywhere.

Hello
I am looking at the Pro Mtn 86 Ti 182 CM and the Salomon XDR 88 Ti or 84 in 179 CM to compliment one of my all-time favorite skis my 189 CM Scott Punisher 110.
I am 6’4” and 250 pound expert skier. Ski A Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge and Vail mostly.
Want a ski for bumps and harder snow off of Pallavicini at A Basin and North Peak Bumps or Outback at Keystone. I really love the Punisher but they can be big.
Had some 186 CM Moment Tahoe’s and did not like them. I just felt like they did not do anything that great not a bad ski but not a keeper.
Any suggestions would be great.
Take care,
Jason

Jason, Lots of people ike the new Fischer Pro Mountain 86. However, I can’t see a reason for going thinner than a mid 90s waist, especially at our size. The Motive 95 was a beast on hard snow. It’s not the greatest bump ski, especially if they are hard, but skiing in Summit County (instead of Maine where I ski), should mean that you have no issues at all in the bumps. I lived in Aspen and Boulder in the mid 90s and would have loved to have a ski like my Motive 95s back then. They can really handle pretty much anything.

No chatter for me. I ski at Sunday River, ME every weekend, and mix my time between high speed groomers and tree skiing, depending on snow conditions. The Motive 95s had great grip on hard snow and no chatter.

Thanks for all the great reviews as usual! I’m looking for a little help on picking out a dedicated front-side carver. I’m 32, been skiing since 4 yrs old, 180 lbs, 6′, expert skier that typically enjoys big pow days, steep, heavy variable conditions, charging hard etc. That said, I wanted to have a dedicated carver in a 3-ski quiver… I already have the ’16/17 bonafides and will be adding the Blister Pro (or something similar) for bigger days. I primarily ski Aspen/Highlands and Tignes/Val d’isere in the Alps.

I was initially considering the Blizzard Quattro 8.4, but I haven’t seen too many reliable reviews out there and was a little concerned if this was the right ski. Your review of the Fischer RC4 The Curv in your Winter Buyers guide caught my interest. I’ve since looked at the DTX as a slightly less demanding alternative as well. I’d like to have something that’s medium radius, still lively but can handle/commit to a hard, focused turn.

Have you spent any time on the DTX? How would compare something like the DTX to the Pro Mtn 86 Ti, or even the Quattro 8.4? I know the Pro Mtn would be a little more versatile, which wouldn’t be bad, but the primary purpose is to really lay down some turns! I’d love any help and if I should be considering something else!